Any Ideas on must sees?

[me]

if more than 90 days, you'd need to plan well not to overstay the "tourist" limits.

perhaps open jaw air tix, one flight being to/from Schengen, one being to/from non-schengen.

- d

rissama said:

it's became more like 14 weeks

[herrbert]

Well there is always London and Edinburgh ... maybe a visit to Switzerland. So if it is really 14 weeks, you need to check if you get more than 90 days inside the Schengenarea. (I have been told that 1 or 2 days over the limit is not such a big deal)

Check here: www.consulfrance-vancouver.org/visas/anglais/listes/pays_schengen.htm for more information, about which country is part of the Schengen region.

[me]

herrbert said:

Well there is always London and Edinburgh ... maybe a visit to Switzerland. So if it is really 14 weeks, you need to check if you get more than 90 days inside the Schengenarea. (I have been told that 1 or 2 days over the limit is not such a big deal)

someplace i read that Switzerland had signed up for Schengen. perhaps UK or Ireland would be better options for non-Schengen states to visit. if you want to stay in Western Europe.

FYI: all pre-2004 EU members are part of Schengen, except UK & Ireland. there are 3 non-EU states which are part of Schengen: Norway, Iceland &, most recently, Switzerland.

[herrbert]

Joined yes, but it is not yet implemented. It will be implemented somewhere in 2008. (I read somewhere October 2008)

[rissama]

ok so it's been expanded to 16 weeks, and that should be the last change

[rissama]

i dont understand, would i need any visas if im only going to be in each country for 15 days or so? isnt that 90 day thing for the time spent in each country?

[WillTravel]

It's 90 days for the Schengen countries combined. (You can cumulatively spend 90 days out of 180 in the Schengen zone.)

You can also spend 6 months in the UK.

Former Soviet-bloc countries are not part of Schengen, and these have their own rules, although I think 90 days for each is quite typical.

So basically, just think in terms of not exceeding 90 days in Schengen, but you can easily get up to 16 weeks total by also spending time in the UK and central and eastern Europe (e.g. Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Latvia, etc.)

Look up what countries are in Schengen, and plan accordingly.

[me]

rissama said:

i dont understand, would i need any visas if im only going to be in each country for 15 days or so? isnt that 90 day thing for the time spent in each country?

Mar,

this thinking is sooo last millenium!

as WT sez, all places which have implemented the Schengen agreement have a unified time limit. but, these limits are also dependant on which passport you carry. does "an invisible box....HELP!!!!!!" even have visa free travel to Schengen zone?

UK & Ireland are outside Schengen, the only EU states outside. so far only the 15 "old" EU signatory states and Iceland & Norway have implemented the agreement. "new," post 2004, EU states plus Switzerland are Schengen signatories who've yet to implement it.

so, what passport will you have, and when do you plan to travel? i mean, you say elswhere that you're a high school student planning "way in advance." so the "new" Schengen states may have implemented the agreement by then.

- d

[rissama]

lol, david, lol. well i was plannig to go in 2010, but my friends wanna go in 2011, which im trying to get them to change back to 2010. and 'an invisible box' is code for Indiana(which still means help!). and I don't know what kind of passport i'm using.
thanks to you both.

[WillTravel]

Keep in mind things might change in this respect by 2010 or 2011.

Are you using a US passport? I think that's what David was asking.

[me]

thanks, WT. that's exactly what i mean: things change over 3 or 4 years.

things are also different depending which passport one has. US citizens are the minority here - at least among the most active posters. someone with a Canadian passport has some different rules from Americans.

- d

willtravel said:

Keep in mind things might change in this respect by 2010 or 2011.

Are you using a US passport? I think that's what David was asking.

[rissama]

oh, I would definitely be using a U.S. passport, cause I'm not planning on moving to Canada anytime soon. And I realize things change in that many years, I'm just trying to get as prepared as I can.

[me]

rissama said:

oh, I would definitely be using a U.S. passport, cause I'm not planning on moving to Canada anytime soon.

i didn't mean to suggest that you emmigrate! just trying to figgure out your citizenship. as there are more Canadians here than others, i think, it'd be a guess that you're also Canadian. a wrong guess in this case.

[MuvverRussia]

By 2011 Schengen will be seriously changed. I can see a lot of the EU-25 (2004 ascension) countries in it by then (3 or 4 years is a long time where the EU's concerned).

That said, as long as you stick to 90 days you should be fine.